Blizzard is finally deploying a bunch of hotfixes for the Dungeon Finder! Also, if you missed the post a few hours ago, don't forget to check the Incoming Healer Changes!

Dungeon Finder/Vote Kick Hotfixes

Originally Posted by Bashiok
(Blue Tracker)

We’re making a number of hotfixes to address use of the Dungeon Finder and vote kick tools. The following hotfixes will require realm restarts to implement, which are likely to be next Tuesday’s weekly maintenance.

Players who are outside a dungeon for more than a few minutes are now immediately able to be kicked.

If queuing as a group with a tank or healer, and the tank or healer drops group (or is kicked) soon after joining, those that queued with them will also be removed from the dungeon.

If three or more players group queue with each other it will require an additional vote for them to kick anyone they did not group queue with.

If a group queue of 4 kicks the one person that they did not group queue with they will each receive a more severe penalty to their ability to initiate future kicks.

If someone initiates a vote kick for someone they group queued with they will not incur a penalty to their ability to initiate future kicks.

With these changes we hope to reduce some undesirable behavior and annoyances, and encourage greater patience when using the Dungeon Finder. In addition, keep in mind that both initiating and agreeing to vote kick have always carried the same weight to your ability to kick in the future. It's always best to save your votes for when it really counts to ensure your ability to kick is available when it does.

We’ll of course be watching how these changes work to improve these systems, and always appreciate your feedback.

Here you'll find a list of hotfixes that address various issues related to the recently released World of Warcraft: Cataclysm patch 4.0.6. Hotfixes are updates we make on our end without requiring you to download a new patch. Some of the hotfixes below will go live the moment they are implemented, while others may require your realm to be restarted to go into effect. Please keep in mind that some issues cannot be addressed without a client-side patch update. We will continue to update this thread in the days ahead as additional hotfixes are applied. Visit our Bug Report forum for a list of 4.0.6 known issues.

In addition to its current effects, the Body and Soul talent now grants 12.5%/25% reduction to the base mana cost of Power Word: Shield. This is not reflected in the tooltip, but is reflected in the amount of mana used when Power Word: Shield is cast by Holy priests who have this talent. The tooltip update will require a client-side patch.

Power Word: Shield now costs roughly 34% of base mana, up from 25%. This is not reflected in the tooltip, but is reflected in the amount of mana used when the spell is cast. The tooltip update will require a client-side patch.

Maloriak will no longer cast Flash Freeze on anyone who is tanking Aberrations or anyone who has recently been hit by them.

Blue Posts

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment

Bone Fishing Pole Hotfix
The item level was too high compared to the character level at which it could be used. This was updated in a hotfix on February 14.

It's not supposed to have a level 80 requirement, but it also wasn't supposed to be item level 200. (Source)

Priest (Forums / Cataclysm Talent Calculator / Skills/Talents)Incoming Healer Changes / Shadowpriests using Power Word: Shield
I probably don’t have the answers you’re looking for in regard to PvP, but Shadow priests already put out significant damage in PvP, and we’re ok if they’re a little bit more vulnerable as a result of this change. Discipline priests while not putting out as much damage, were still healing well and were likewise difficult to kill in PvP. As always, we’ll keep an eye out on these changes to see how they play out on the PvP end.

Generally speaking (and more to the PvE end), the Discipline tree has talents that play off of Penance, Flash Heal, Greater Heal and Prayer of Healing. It wouldn’t be strange for these priests to leverage Power Word:Barrier to help mitigate damage either should the occasion present itself. There's a solid variety of available spells to be used, and we want you to use them. Moreover we think healing as a priest will be more fun if you have to think about which spell to use rather than robotically answering each damage event with PW: Shield. Overall, we’re not reducing the power of Power Word: Shield at all, just increasing its cost and making the more efficient heals more attractive to use.

Power Word: Shield will still have its time and place and as always. We want it to be used often, we just don't want it used to the exclusion of all other abilities. We'll keep an eye on how things play out once the change is applied too.

*Someone earlier in the thread asked if this was an increase from base mana, and it is from the base mana cost.

As an aside: For those sharing constructive feedback, as always, we thank you. For those who are utilizing this thread as a means to simply complain, we hear you, but overstatements of upset aren't going to help us address your concerns. (Source)

Power Word: Shield
We don't want Discipline priests completely reliant on a single spell or ability for everything- (as in), Shield should not be the only spell you feel worth casting. Discipline priests are still very powerful at damage mitigation and we're not trying to take away using PW:Shield on a regular basis or its value. There should still be some worth in choosing which spells to cast and when.

[...] We want people using Power Word: Shield. As others have pointed out, it's something Discipline priests do well (Damage Mitigation) and it took awhile before more people began to believe that (remember those days?). Damage Mitigation will still happen and is still important even with this change, it's just not going to be the ONLY thing that the Discipline spec is going to be using to keep their groups and Raids up. There will be heals as well. Also, in Raids, there will be more than a Discipline priest supporting the raid. So knowing the best use of your abilities in that situation is key and playing off of the strengths of other healers will be as essential as it has always been.

Again, we're continuing to watch constructive feedback even if we may not be responding to all of the questions and thoughts that have been brought up in this thread. We are definitely reading. (Source)

It's annoying that I receive a penalty to my vote-kicks for all the people I have vote-kicked who queued with a tank who dropped group once they got in the dungeon. I felt like I was doing blizz's work for them!

Only problem is if the player up to be kicked actually sucks. You know, because that happens, Blizz. While it makes innocent players more protected, it protects stupider ones. I'd rather be good and kicked than have to deal with stupid and WE CAN'T GET RID OF THIS MOUTHBREATHER.

What about not giving me a cooldown on the dungeon finder if 3/5 of the group leave it instantly, and then i leave because i am stuck with a single dps in some instance, and we won't get an other tank for like 30 minutes?

Like the new hotfixes for vote kick. Hope it will reduce the queue time for dps. But on the other side its a bit sad for the community that blizzard enforce us to play fair instead of doing it on our own. At least its nice to see that blizzard cares for that. After all we are here to have fun

As for the other, already know changes, welcome for healers. My shammy is close to 85 and i will love healing with him. Now time to ear him up so i see if i have more fun ehaling with shammy or priest.

"# If a group queue of 4 kicks the one person that they did not group queue with they will each receive a more severe penalty to their ability to initiate future kicks."

I just don't see a reason where even after the bad apple has rightly and properly been dealt with, you still feel the lingering effects because Blizzard tries to protect the (bad) minority of the group. Not all people who end up with 4 guildies/friends are bad, and not all 4 of that group are bad...but it's happened, and I don't like being penalized for using the system the way it should be. It only makes me not want to do dungeon quests on alts.

What about not giving me a cooldown on the dungeon finder if 3/5 of the group leave it instantly, and then i leave because i am stuck with a single dps in some instance, and we won't get an other tank for like 30 minutes?

just teleport out of dungeon and do what you were doing before! Why leave group when you are at the top of the queue now?

"# If a group queue of 4 kicks the one person that they did not group queue with they will each receive a more severe penalty to their ability to initiate future kicks."

I just don't see a reason where even after the bad apple has rightly and properly been dealt with, you still feel the lingering effects because Blizzard tries to protect the (bad) minority of the group. Not all people who end up with 4 guildies/friends are bad, and not all 4 of that group are bad...but it's happened, and I don't like being penalized for using the system the way it should be. It only makes me not want to do dungeon quests on alts.

Bad players? It's more about group (read: guild) members abusing the system and kicking people for whimsical reasons.

Bad players? It's more about group (read: guild) members abusing the system and kicking people for whimsical reasons.

true that happens, but more often than not, i'm one of the 4, and the pug is a bad player, stands in fires, pulls for the tank, makes the healer have to try heal through being stupid, all those things that generally make for bad players.

Why should we all be penalised for kicking someone who isn't performing to the best of their abilities?

As far as the "5th" in our pre-made 4 man dungeon queues goes, this won't really effect me very much as that extra guy/girl is usually a healer. We always run with a tank and 3 dps for the most part. I think this change will encourage the groups that are having trouble with that 5th person to actually speak up and be constructive instead of just vote-kicking them without a word.

Yay no more guild abuse. As for the pug dps being bad it really depends. When I pug as BM or DK frost and top the chart in honnor pvp gear against 345/359 guild members, without standing in the fire and what not, it just make me laugth. I got kicked only twice, grouped with such players, right before the boss / loot I could roll for. I am so glad with about this change.

true that happens, but more often than not, i'm one of the 4, and the pug is a bad player, stands in fires, pulls for the tank, makes the healer have to try heal through being stupid, all those things that generally make for bad players.

Why should we all be penalised for kicking someone who isn't performing to the best of their abilities?

Yep, this one is a bit iffy, but I would say that Blizzard have opted to go for the 'better of two evils' so to speak.
A capable guild group will still finish the run, regardless of needing to carry a scrub.
An unsuspecting PuG getting an instant kick, or a boot right at the end of the run, has had their time wasted unfairly.

"If a group queue of 4 kicks the one person that they did not group queue with they will each receive a more severe penalty to their ability to initiate future kicks."

We refuse to carry a dps that can't even do more dmg than the tank. Why are we 4 being penalized for kicking a baddie?

The changes that combat the queue selling are more than welcome though.

Anyway, I'm done playing Russian roulette, full guild groups or none at all.

To the guilds that run in a group of four. Take a moment on your server and request a 5th person in trade to join your group. They dont need to be within your guild, they can be out. You have more control over the situation, than just taking the wild card. Thats how you can avoid the issue.

"# If a group queue of 4 kicks the one person that they did not group queue with they will each receive a more severe penalty to their ability to initiate future kicks."

I just don't see a reason where even after the bad apple has rightly and properly been dealt with, you still feel the lingering effects because Blizzard tries to protect the (bad) minority of the group. Not all people who end up with 4 guildies/friends are bad, and not all 4 of that group are bad...but it's happened, and I don't like being penalized for using the system the way it should be. It only makes me not want to do dungeon quests on alts.

Why can't you get 1 more guild member or friend? I never understand the people that queue with 4.

And the problem is a guild of 4 will pick up a 5th in the random dungeon finder, then when they get to a certain point, that guild member that was "too busy" is suddenly free and wants in for a certain boss. The 5th player, who on all account has been playing perfectly fine, gets kicked for a guild member.